Augustine

Question 1

What’s Augustine’s background

Answer 1

middle-class that partied @ 18 until he was troubled by nature -> if God supposed to be good, why is there evil in the world? he asked

Question 2

which groups and in what order to Augustine follow

Answer 2

1. manichees
2. skeptics
3. Neoplatonist

Question 3

what did the manichees believe

Answer 3

there is good and bad in the world, there’s nothing we can do about it

Question 4

what problem did Augustine have with the manichees

Answer 4

the manichees explanation for good and evil didn’t explain how people can change from good to evil and vice versa

Question 5

what did the skeptics believe

Answer 5

doubt everything, bc, things might not be accurate (senses could be inaccurate)

Question 6

what did the Neoplatonists believe

Answer 6

there is a spectrum of reality in which evil means there is an absence of good

Question 7

why did Augustine follow neoplatonists

Answer 7

he liked what the neoplatonists have to say, but needed to disprove skeptics by finding one thing he can’t doubt

Question 8

what 2 conversions did Augustine have and what did each coincide with

Answer 8

Neo-Platonism: “intellectual conversion”

Christianity: “moral conversion”

Question 9

what was Augustine’s argument against the skeptics called

Answer 9

Si Fallor, Sum: if I don’t exist, I can’t doubt (you can’t doubt what doesn’t exist, so someone’s existence is what you can’t doubt)

Question 10

what are the 2 uncertainties

Answer 10

1) senses
&
2) object

Question 11

what’s the difference between senses and object

Answer 11

senses can change way you see things, where object is something everyone can see.
eg. bad eyesight = senses /// optical illusions = object

Question 12

what are the 3 branches of a sense

Answer 12

1) organ of sense
2) object
3) light: separate from object (what allows you to see object)

Question 13

what is Augustine’s theory of illumination

Answer 13

there is

1) mind (intelligible)
2) object (visible)
3) “light” (the thing that allows to be made intelligible)

Question 14

how does Augustine get to his theory of illumination

Answer 14

by reflecting on experience of sensing/knowing

Question 15

what is “light” to Augustine (the logic)

Answer 15

• if light is sep. from object, must not be part of this
• can’t be temporal, us, or the object
• must be rational
  THEREFORE, “light” must be God

Question 16

what are the 2 types of arguments

Answer 16

causes/effects

1) a. posteriori
2) a. priori

Question 17

what is an a. posteriori argument

Answer 17

“from effect”
argues from effect to cause
eg. the sidewalk is wet, the cause was the sprinklers were on

Question 18

what is a a priori argument

Answer 18

“from prior”
argues cause to effect
eg. the clouds are dark, therefore it will rain